Bihari food is more than Litti Chokha! Here's a list of 10 dishes you can't miss today

Are you a Bihari, you must love litti chokha, right? If you belong to the north Indian state, it is sure that you have been asked that question at least once. But reality check people, we Biharis have several other dishes, apart from litti chokha, that we love. On this Bihar Diwas, here is a list of delicacies from Bihar that you should know about, and even try at least once.

PS: Read on to know how to give these traditional dishes a stylish twist.

SNACKS

Litti Chokha: The signature dish of Bihar, today Litti Chokha is available in every part of Delhi. Litti is basically a baked wheat flour dough stuffed with the mixture of roasted gram flour, spices, and lemon juice. It is served with chokha and green chutney. Chokha is made of boiled mashed potato mixed with mustard oil, onion, and spices.

Twist: Try a fried version of Litti. Just boil the litti and later fry it. Definitely, it tastes different.

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Chana Ghugni: A popular street food of Bihar – Chana Ghungni is the Sunday breakfast special in many Bihari homes. It is a mixture of black dried chickpeas, chopped ginger, garlic and onion, mustard oil, cumin seeds, cinnamon, bay leaf, dried red chilli and dry Mango powder. Mix it well with the spicy paste of turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and water. Later garnish it with chopped onion, green chilli, and lime juice.

Twist: Add some water in the paste for the gravy and enjoy it at lunch or dinner with roti and rice.

MAIN COURSE

Dal Pitha: This is a Bihari answer to dumplings and momo. Prepared of kneaded rice flour stuffed with a spiced Bengal gram paste and steamed, this is nothing less than the momo. Generally, it is served with pickle or chutni, you can eat dal pitha without these as well, it will anyways taste good.

Twist: If you’re not a fan of steamed food, go for fried dal pitha, which you need to boil before frying. Also, you can change the fillings as per your choice. For example, a normal mixture of onion, tomato or add chicken.

Dal Puri: The Bengal gram stuffed in the balls of flour dough, dal puri is another stage of happiness. Pair it up with spicy potato gravy and kheer, you couldn’t ask for more. This delicacy is eaten on every happy occasion, be that wedding, bday or some festival.

Twist: You can certainly replace dal with something else, but that will not solve the purpose of dal puri. So, just change the type of dal and add more spices along with chopped onion and green chillies.

DESSERT

Malpua: It makes every festival sweeter. From Holi to Diwali, the festivals are partial, if malpua is missing from the menu. Make a batter by mixing flour, milk and dry fruits. Fry them and make it little crispy from the sides, later dip it into the sugar syrup.

Twist: Put mashed bananas, kesar or cinnamon for flavours. Also, you can use some erotic flavours like vanilla and strawberry essence to give a fusion taste.

Kheer Makhana: You must have tried rice kheer for n number of times, but kheer makhana (fox nut) is another variant of the good old kheer. The kheer is prepared in a similar way like rice kheer, the only difference is that you need to heat fox nut and are crushed into something balance between a minute and a coarse powder, which is later added to milk and sugar.

Twist: Dry fruits will enhance the taste. Also, if you replace sugar with jaggery, it will taste very different.

SWEETS

Parwal ki Mithai: Though parwal is a veggie, its mithai is one of the most famous sweets in Bihar. It is made with the stuffing of khoya and sugar and tastes sweet with a hint of salt.

Twist: Replace sugar with jaggery, to add a twist.

Thekua/Khajuria: The most important part of famous Chatt Puja in Bihar. It is a sweet snack prepared wheat flour and jaggery or sugar, molded and deep fried.

Twist: Try to bake thekua, if you are health conscious or want to try a different taste. Also, you can add different types of essence.

Pedakiya: You might not know pedakiya, but you must be knowing gujiya. Pedakiya is a Bihari name for Gujiya, made from flour stuffed with semolina, khoya and grated coconut. It is made in Holi, Teej and Diwali.

Twist: Add some twist to your stuffing by adding a variety of essence or ingredient. You can add loads of dry fruits.

Tilkut: Popular in Bihar, especially during festivals like Makar Sankranti, Tilkut is a sweet cracker made of sesame seeds. Seeds are mixed with jaggery or sugar.

Twist: It is available in the market with different flavours.

SIDES

Aloo ka achar: You must be knowing about mango pickles, but pickle of potato is very famous in Bihar. It looks like dry vegetable of potato mixed in spices, the pickle can be accompanied with everything or you can just eat it like a veggie.

Twist: Along with potato, you can add some other veggies too. Commonly add veggies like cauliflower, carrots, and brinjals, to name a few.